Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

For my 72nd birthday, my son purchased tickets for us to attend a T20 game at Headingley on June 22.

Having consulted the timetable we found we had two options for our homeward journey to Knaresborough: the 21.34 train from Burley Park to Knaresborough or the 22.44 train from Burley Park to Harrogate.

For some strange reason only known to Northern, the 22.44 service terminates at Harrogate. Why?

To resolve this issue we decided for our outward journey we would drive to Hornbeam Park Station, park up and then get the train to Burley Park Station.

During the Yorkshire Vikings innings (they batted second), luckily my son checked on his phone and found that both of the trains we could have got home had been cancelled.

Stranded in Leeds. Car at Hornbeam Station. Possible £40/£50 taxi back to Hornbeam.

A solution was an earlier train home that hadn’t been cancelled at 20.34, which would mean missing the last hour of the game. The problem was the train departed in 10 minutes.

At 72 years of age, running to catch a train is not much fun but we made it.

How many people attending this event got stranded in Leeds by Northern Rail? I can see why they have had their franchise taken over by the government.

Did any other readers get caught out by this pathetic excuse of a train company?

They completely ruined our day out and we missed a very exciting end to the game.

Robbie Payne, Knaresborough

Boy racers at Conyngham Hall 

Malcolm Wood’s letter on the A59 Badger Hill race track caught my attention. It isn’t the only race track which is a noise nuisance.

There is a big problem in Conyngham Hall car park in Knaresborough. Each evening it becomes a mecca for anyone with a souped-up engine/exhaust. They start at one end of the car park, rev up, backfire, then race to the other end where handbrake circles, skidding and revving are performed.

This happens well up to and sometimes beyond 11pm. It’s not a recent thing, it’s been happening for at least three years, together with drug usage, drinking parties and fire lighting. The police have been informed and a crime number issued, but do we see any action from them or the council — what do you think?

Jean Butterfield, Knaresborough

Bond End also a race track

I am in absolute agreement with Malcolm Wood’s letter of June 16 about speeding in Knaresborough at Badger Hill. It is a problem on Bond End too.

Noisy, modified  cars and motorbikes use Bond End as a slingshot before breaking the speed limit on the dual carriageway of Harrogate Road, from Mother Shipton’s towards the golf club. This has been ongoing since spring.

The beginning of this area has a lot of pedestrians. Alas, a police presence, acting as enforcement and deterrence, is absent.

Dr. David Oldman, Knaresborough 

And so is York Place…

I can concur with Malcolm Woods regarding boy racers. I live on Iles Lane, I walk my dogs every night and I can say that boy racers race in town up York Place through the High Street nearly every night between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. No police visible

Maggie Boyd , Knaresborough

Read more:

• Stray Views: Drivers use Badger Hill as ‘speed track’
• Two people robbed and assaulted on Knaresborough street

Full marks for promptness to local politician

I have no political allegiance or affiliation, but when I raised an issue concerning his ward, Matt Walker responded almost immediately. This was even though his contact page on the council website said he was on holiday at the time. Full marks, and good luck, sir!

Colin Harrison, Knaresborough

Station Gateway: we expect better from councillors

A couple of issues in particular discussed by councillors at the area constituency committee meeting on June 8 should be raised.

1 THE PETITION

A Conservative member attending this meeting queried the petition’s veracity, saying its signatories included people from as far away as South Africa.  According to people who are more computer literate than I am, it is reportedly an anomaly where the IP address of people’s computers shows up on the petition rather than their postal address.  So I have been told, it occurs when a virtual private network is used to provide additional security and privacy rather than that afforded by the normal internet connection.

For example, two people I know who certainly live in Harrogate had their addresses displayed on the petition as Sunderland.  It therefore seems to confirm that the councillor who announced in a sarcastic manner at the North Yorkshire Council executive meeting that he had rigorously checked the petition and that it proved nothing as at least 20% of the signatories lived outside the Harrogate area was quite wrong.

Surely there must be some way in which these misleading discrepancies, fabrications and exaggerations can be taken into account as they were extremely misleading. I find it hard to comprehend the technology wizards at the council have not come across this anomaly before.

2 INTERPRETATION OF THE PETITION

Another Conservative member attending the meeting pointed out even 500 local signatures, the threshold needed to have the petition debated by the committee, were not representative of all views from local residents.  Just over two years ago quite extensive coverage was given in the local media of the survey results following public consultation on the gateway project including the pedestrianisation of James Street.

A report commissioned by North Yorkshire County Council claimed the gateway project still had more supporters than detractors.   I understand the overall population of Harrogate at the time was in the region of 75,000 residents, from which there were some 1,101 respondents to the online survey.   This equates approximately to 1.5% of Harrogate town’s total population – some 45% of the 1,101 participants voted in favour of this proposal or in real terms somewhere in the region of 0.75% of Harrogate’s population.

So, if you adopt this councillor’s theory, it is less representative of all the views from local residents even though at the time Cllr Phil Ireland from the then Harrogate Borough Council claimed “we have EVERYBODY’S feedback and ideas to feed into the next phase of detailed design work”.  And yet, they dare to trash the recent petition which reached over 2,000 signatures and continues to increase.

We do not expect this standard of behaviour form councillors who were elected to represent us the residents of Harrogate and a public apology on both issues would be appropriate.

The simple fact that the signatories to the petition may not be representative of all views from local residents rests firmly in the lap of the council. It is quite disturbing to find out even now how many local residents and businesses still have not heard of or do not know what the station gateway involves.  Whilst I appreciate it will always be a problem to ensure everyone is aware, I believe the council and the highways team in particular has a history of poor consultation, ignoring the democratic process; not listening and dismissive of public comment, and hiding behind a meaningless excess of words in press releases.  If only they had involved us much earlier in the democratic process more of us would have shared in ownership of a gateway project.

Barry Adams, Harrogate 

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A retired lorry driver who has taken seven truckloads of aid to Ukraine from Knaresborough has set himself a new challenge.

Bob Frendt, who is in his 70s, made his final trip to eastern Europe earlier this month and has said he will not complete another aid journey.

However, he is hoping to help in another way.

While visiting Volodymyr in western Ukraine over the last year, he discovered the town’s fire engines had been commandeered by the army.

During his last visit, he was told about the impact of this. He said:

“We heard there had been people killed in a fire four weeks earlier because they don’t have a fire engine.

“I said, ‘I promise I will buy you a fire engine. I don’t know how, I don’t know where I’m going to get the money from, but I will do it by the end of the year.'”

Bob is known for keeping his promises.

Over the last 15 months, he has been transporting medical equipment for the hospital, as well as IT and other supplies the school requested.

Before Christmas, he transported hundreds of gifts to distribute to local children, and took Easter eggs to the hospital’s children’s ward during his visit in April.

As well as taking donations from people around Knaresborough and beyond, he contacted numerous businesses across the area to ask for contributions of unwanted medical equipment and more.

He was given the lorry by a supporter, but it cost him £2,500 in fuel, insurance and ferries every time he travelled to Ukraine and back, and he now plans to sell the lorry to clear the overdrafts he and wife Maureen had used to fund the last trip.

Read more:

• Harrogate Eurovision party welcomes Ukrainians and raises aid funds
• Support for plans to twin Knaresborough with town in Ukraine

Bob is determined to raise enough money to buy and transport at least one fire engine to Volodymyr, to prevent more lives being lost and homes and businesses being destroyed if a fire breaks out.

He is being supported by Chain Lane Community Hub, which has been working with many Ukrainians who have fled the country since Russia invaded last February.

Knaresborough is now home to around 350 Ukrainians, many of whom have been helped to learn English, find work and settle into the community through the Chain Lane hub.

Bob has also been instrumental in moves to twin Knaresborough with Volodymyr, with both mayors keen to sign up to a twinning agreement.

A Crowdfunding page has been set up to help Bob reach the £20,000 he needs for the cause. On it, the team from the hub wrote:

“Chain Lane Community Hub want to support Bob in his continued support for this town by helping Bob to fundraise for further Humanitarian Aid to Volodymyr, with one of the intentions to purchase and transport a fire engine specifically for this town.

“We can feel so helpless watching the news from Ukraine but this is a way we can really make a difference to these brave people in their time of need.”

To donate to the cause, visit the Crowdfunding page.

Two people were robbed and assaulted while walking in Knaresborough in the early hours of this morning.

North Yorkshire Police this afternoon appealed for witnesses and information following the incident, which occurred at about 2am.

The force said in a statement:

“The two victims were walking on Aspin Lane when they were approached by two men and assaulted. One of the victims had their mobile phone stolen. The offenders left the area in a black Alfa Romeo.

“A short time later officers arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of robbery, possession of a class-A drug and class-B drug and drug driving.

“An 18-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of a class-B drug. Both men currently remain in police custody.”

Anyone with information or CCTV footage is asked to email jenifer.doyle@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101, select option 2, and ask for Jenifer Doyle.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230113081.

Read more:

• Knaresborough man to contest local by-election for Lib Dems
• Knaresborough pub wins CAMRA newcomer award

Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.

The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).

North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.

Read more:

• Search group set up for missing Harrogate boy
• Council spends £2m on consultants for Harrogate’s Station Gateway

The Track and Sleeper pub in Knaresborough has won the award for best newcomer awarded by the Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA branch.

The pub opened on Knaresborough train station’s platform two in 2021.

Renovations to the building earned the pub an urban heritage award from the National Railway Heritage Award scheme. Now the Campaign for Real Ale, which promotes real ales and cider, has also recognised its efforts.

Alan Gould, chairman of Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA, praised father and son duo Phil and Cameron Paling for navigating difficult trading conditions.

Alan Gould (centre) presents the award.

Mr Gould said:

“The award recognises the risks taken in establishing a new business especially in hospitality but the bar must serve cask beer of a consistent good quality to be considered.

“A number of newer venues in the Harrogate area don’t meet that criterion as they don’t serve any cask beer.”

Phil runs the family’s Mexborough brewery while Cameron manages the bar as well as another pub in Swinton.

Mr Gould also alluded to the idea of a new Rail Ale Trail – when pubs across a certain train line create a pub crawl with participants travelling between the stops on a train.

He suggested a Leeds to York trail could be created as a number of pubs have now opened along this route. The Track and Sleeper would definitely be an important stop on this possible route.

CAMRA has also recently given a number of awards to other pubs in the area. These include: Major Toms for Cider Pub of the Year and Club of the Year going to the Oatlands.

Read more:

• A-ha’s sound man opens record shop and bar in Harrogate
• Brew Bar owner opens new Harrogate coffee shop

The two local Conservative MPs voted in support of a report last night that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown parties.

The Commons backed the report by 354 votes to seven — however 225 MPs either abstained or did not turn up to vote, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Julian Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon, were among the 118 Tories who supported the report by parliament’s Privileges Committee.

Mr Smith tweeted afterwards “upholding the rules of parliament is key to our democracy”.

Tonight I voted to support the cross party privileges committee report. Boris Johnson did a number of positive things as Prime Minister, but upholding the rules of parliament is key to our democracy https://t.co/YFJIsOs1zU

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) June 19, 2023

Mr Jones indicated his intentions last week when he said:

The cross-party committee’s report found Mr Johnson committed repeated offences when he said covid rules had been followed at No 10 at all times.

The Selby and Ainsty constituency, which covers part of the Harrogate district, does not currently have an MP following Nigel Adams’ resignation.

A by-election will take place on July 20.

Read more:

• Tories select replacement candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election
• Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate quit after ‘chicken policy disagreement’

Most of Ilke Homes‘ Knaresborough staff are expected to remain at home on full pay next week as the company continues to seek a buyer.

The Stray Ferret understands a small number of staff will be in the Flaxby factory to help complete some orders and send them to site.

They will be joined by managers, who have remained at the factory this week after the workers were told a week ago to stay at home while the company sought investment.

The business was put up for sale this week and a source told the Stray Ferret its owners were now in “advanced talks” with a potential buyer.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the company blamed market conditions for its current situation:

“In 2020, Ilke Homes launched its turnkey development offering, where the company acquires land, secures planning permission and develops the site. This has been complicated by uncertainty over planning policy and rising build costs.

“While having delivered strong contribution margins, Ilke Homes now requires new investment to meet overheads, achieve further scale and become cash flow positive.

“The wider UK housing market has been hit by rapidly rising interest rates, which has reduced demand and resulted in housing starts falling below pre-pandemic levels.

“Official government figures have also revealed that planning applications in England have fallen to their lowest level in at least 16 years, thanks to uncertainty over planning policy and heightened build costs, highlighting the scale of the challenge in improving housing delivery.”

Read more:

• Knaresborough housebuilder up for sale as operations paused
• Staff sent home as Knaresborough housebuilder seeks urgent investment

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said he will vote to accept the recommendations of the parliamentary investigation into Boris Johnson.

The seven MPs on the House of Commons Privileges Committee today found the former Prime Minster deliberately misled parliament over lockdown parties.

The cross-party committee said the former PM had committed repeated offences and it would have recommended a 90-day suspension from the House of Commons had Mr Johnson not resigned as an MP last week.

MPs are expected to vote on Monday on whether to approve the committee’s recommendations.

Mr Jones said:

Speaking in a Commons debate on April 21 last year on the referral of Mr Johnson to the committee, Mr Jones said:

“When there are questions about the conduct of any Member in this place, it is right for the Committee of Privileges to take a look at that case. It is right for it to investigate, it is right for it to make a judgment and it is right for that to happen whoever the Member is.”

He added he wanted to “see more focus on standards across parliament”.

Local Lib Dem says Tories in ‘full-blown civil war’

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said today voting against the committee’s recommendations  would be “an insult to bereaved families who grieved alone while Boris Johnson partied.”

Mr Gordon added:

“This report is completely unprecedented. Never before has a former British Prime Minister been found to have lied to parliament and treated the public with such contempt.

“The Conservative Party is now in a full-blown civil war, while people struggle to afford to pay their mortgage or get a GP appointment.”

Read more:

• Tories and Greens name candidates as local by-election looms
• Andrew Jones MP says new police powers will help tackle Traveller issues in Knaresborough

Selby and Ainsty Conservative MP Nigel Adams, a close ally of Mr Johnson, also resigned last week, triggering a by-election.

The Conservatives and Greens have named their candidates to fight the seat, which includes numerous villages close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, including Spofforth, Follifoot, Kirkby Overblow, Goldsborough, Little Ouseburn, Nun Monkton, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.

Labour is expected to name its candidate tonight.

North Yorkshire Council has refused a plan to build 18 holiday cabins in a woodland near Knaresborough.

The Hargreaves family submitted plans this year for the tourism business, which included wooden shepherds huts, cabins and pods nestled within a woodland just outside the village of Coneythorpe.

Documents submitted by the applicants said they wanted to create a “tranquil overnight accommodation scheme in a unique location” that would be a base for tourists to explore North Yorkshire.

A new footpath was also proposed to the village which it said would increase footfall to the Tiger Inn pub and support the social and economic wellbeing of Coneythorpe.

The plans received 14 comments with one in support and 13 objecting.

But with strict planning laws in the countryside, the council refused the plans this week saying the site is outside the development limits of the village and the proposal does not demonstrate that the scheme requires a rural location.

Planning officer Trevor Watson wrote that the huts would not be accessible to existing local services, public facilities or tourist attractions and the proposal would not promote sustainable travel.

There were also concerns about a loss of trees in the woodland with the applicants not proposing to replant them on a two-for-one basis.

Mr Watson wrote:

“The cumulative effect of the proposed cabins, pods, shepherd huts, office, accesses and car park together with the change in activity and associated tourism paraphernalia would result in a visually intrusive and detrimental change to the agricultural and woodland character of the site.

“The proposal would fail to protect, enhance and restore the landscape character of the site and would result in substantial harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area. There are no public benefits associated with the proposal that would outweigh the harm.”

The applicants can appeal the decision.

Read more:

• How the wheels came off Knaresborough’s bid to win bed race
• Knaresborough housebuilder up for sale as operations paused

About 30 Knaresborough residents and the town council have objected to plans to build nine flats on the site of one of the town’s oldest houses and its garden.

Paul Franklin has submitted plans to demolish the property and build the homes on land off Stockwell Road.

Mr Franklin said the scheme would “provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough”.

But some 30 objections have been made to the North Yorkshire Council, which will approve or reject the application. The decision will either be made by the council’s planning committee, which consists of elected councillors, or by an individual planning officer.

The objectors include Knaresborough Town Council, which said in its submission the development would be “overbearing and will overlook neighbouring properties particularly gardens affecting other residents privacy”, create parking problems and increase congestion.

It added trees were removed from the site during nesting season and the application was “not sufficiently different from the previous one” refused in 2007.

Its concluded:

“Knaresborough Town Council ask that the application is strongly rejected and that it should go to the North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee for consideration.”

A group of residents recently asked to meet the Stray Ferret at the site to voice their concerns.

Estelle Green, whose garden on St Margaret’s Road has traditionally overlooked trees, now faces the prospect of neighbours being able to see into her home. She said:

“Our community is devastated, we are all standing together.”

The green area where the flats would be built.

Ann Briscoe agreed, adding:

“We would lose our privacy and the scheme is completely out of keeping with the area.”

Tony Sandland said traffic problems and pollution were major concerns, along with fears that concreting over the garden would increase the risk of flooding.

The objections submitted on the council website include concerns about the scheme worsening “gridlock across the railway bridge” on Stockwell Road, the “inadequate” number of parking places in a residential area close to the town centre, a GP surgery and schools.

There is also concern about the loss of the current stone building, which one objector says is “steeped in history, farming, once a bakery and many years ago a sweetshop”.

Another objection says the size of the proposed three-storey development, overlooking two-storey properties, “is completely out of proportion and would lead not only to a loss of privacy but to a significant loss in natural light”.

There are fears the development will heighten parking difficulties on adjoining St Margaret’s Road.

‘Quality and sustainable places to live’

A design and access statement submitted as part of the planning process said the applicant has identified a need for housing in the specific area and “the proposals will have no detrimental effect to the surrounding properties”.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Franklin to respond to concerns. He said:

“For over 12 months we have been in consultation with the council. Under the guidance of external consultees, we have carefully designed a scheme to provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough.

“Comments have been received from local residents mainly covering historically-recurring issues which need to be raised with the relevant bodies – Yorkshire Water, highways authority etc.

“Knaresborough has a rich history, but the site is not a historical asset or listed building and is beyond economical repair despite significant investment during ownership.

“Our garden was cleared of nettles, perennial weeds and thistles and four disease-ridden / choked trees over the past two years. Felling of diseased trees was done outside of nesting season, and no Tree Protection Orders were in place.

“For further comment, please see the responses made to individual commentators that will be submitted to the council as part of the consultation.”

Read more:

• How the wheels came off Knaresborough’s bid to win bed race
• Knaresborough housebuilder up for sale as operations paused